Use of K-Y Jelly on Throat Packs for Postoperative Sore Throat after Nasal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TL;DR

Using K-Y jelly on throat packs during nasal surgery reduces postoperative sore throat compared to water-soaked packs.

Contribution

Demonstrates that K-Y jelly-soaked throat packs reduce POST severity in nasal surgery patients.

Findings

K-Y jelly group had significantly lower POST levels immediately after anesthesia recovery.

Reduced sore throat was observed at 2, 4, and 6 hours postoperatively in the K-Y jelly group.

The effect was consistent across multiple time points in a double-blinded, randomized trial.

Abstract

Introduction
 Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a fairly common side effect of general anesthesia. The K-Y jelly is a well-known lubricant used in many medical procedures.

Objective
 In this randomized study, we evaluated the use of throat packs soaked with K-Y jelly for POST outcomes in patients submitted to nasal surgery.

Methods
 The present double-blinded, randomized, controlled study included 140 ASA I–II patients undergoing nasal surgery under general anesthesia. Patients received either or K-Y jelly or water-soaked X-ray detectable throat packs fully inserted into the mouth to occlude the oropharynx.

Results
 Comparison between the studied groups regarding the severity of POST assessed by visual analog scale revealed significantly lower POST levels in the K-Y jelly group on recovery from anesthesia, and at 2, 4, and 6 hours postoperatively.

Conclusions
 The use of K-Y jelly-soaked throat packs was associated with less severe POST after nasal surgery.

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